Vascular, Cardiac Valve, and Metabolic Diseases

Abstract

Potentially fatal diseases include vascular diseases, diseases of the cardiac valves, and metabolic disorders, many of which can only be identified or ruled out histopathologically. Arteriosclerosis is the most common vascular disease, and ruptured aortic aneurysms (rarely, coronary artery aneurysms) are often acutely fatal; on the other hand, inflammation or other vascular disorders (idiopathic cystic medial necrosis, syphilitic aortitis, primary coronary arteritis, coronary arteritis, Takayasu’s arteritis) are rarer. While primary vascular diseases are seen, drug-induced vasculitis is extremely rare. Congenital vascular anomalies such as arteriovenous malformations (Osler–Weber–Rendu syndrome) may remain undetected until death. Only occasionally can preexisting collagenosis be discussed as the cause of death (Marfan syndrome, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome), with the same applying to hemochromatosis. In the case of endocarditis, histopathology can contribute to determining the etiology of the disease and identifying bacterial ulcerative endocarditis, possibly with septic microembolisms.